Across several Canadian provinces, whooping cough is returning in numbers that have caught the attention of health officials, with Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick showing counts far above their pre-pandemic averages. The disease, which moves through communities in long cycles of rising and falling activity every few years, has given this year's surge a familiar shape, even as its size stands out against recent memory. It is a reminder that a sickness we believed was held at bay by vaccines still follows its own old rhythms, and that protection depends on the steady attention of families, cl
Whooping Cough Cases Surge Across Canada, Far Above Pre-Pandemic Levels in Several Provinces
The illness can be very serious and even life-threatening, especially for very young children, with most Quebec patients aged 10 to 14.
"We call it the 100-day cough."
Mark
Quebec's number is the one that jumps out. Why is it so large?
Mimi
It's 11,670-plus cases this year against an average of 562 from 2015 to 2019. Even the 2019 peak was 1,269.
Luke
Worth noting that's a count of reported cases from the health ministry. The article doesn't say why Quebec's rise is so much steeper than elsewhere.
Mark
Who is getting sick there?
Mimi
Mostly children aged 10 to 14, according to a ministry spokesperson. Dr. Tam also stressed the danger for very young children.
Luke
Those are two different statements. The article doesn't say how many infants have been affected.
Mark
Is this just the disease's normal cycle?
Mimi
Officials say it rises every two to five or six years. That's the context they give.
Luke
Cycles explain some rise, but the article doesn't quantify how much of this is cycle and how much is something else. Ontario's figure is also only through June.
Mark
And the wider alert?
Mimi
The Pan American Health Organization asked countries in July to strengthen surveillance and vaccination coverage, since cases are up in the U.S. and elsewhere too.
O Pulso
- Quebec's case count has climbed past 11,670 this year, nearly ten times the peak of 2019, and the surge is pressing hard on health systems.
- Ontario and New Brunswick are feeling the same pull, with Toronto and Ottawa well above their usual yearly totals and New Brunswick declaring an outbreak.
- Health officials are working to track the spread and push vaccination coverage, while warning that the cough can linger for months.
- The danger is sharpest for very young children, and the outlook depends on whether surveillance and vaccines can outpace a disease that is already cycling upward.
Across several Canadian provinces, whooping cough is returning in numbers that have caught the attention of health officials, with Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick showing counts far above their pre-pandemic averages. The disease, which moves through communities in long cycles of rising and falling activity every few years, has given this year's surge a familiar shape, even as its size stands out against recent memory. It is a reminder that a sickness we believed was held at bay by vaccines still follows its own old rhythms, and that protection depends on the steady attention of families, clinics, and public institutions.
Quebec has now recorded more than 11,670 cases of whooping cough this year, against a typical pre-pandemic average of 562 a year. The last peak, in 2019, saw 1,269 cases, so this year's count is nearly ten times that. Most of the patients in Quebec are between 10 and 14 years old, according to the province's health ministry.
Ontario's numbers are smaller but point the same way. By June, a provincial dashboard showed 470 cases against a five-year average of 98, with Toronto and Ottawa each running more than double their usual annual totals. In New Brunswick, an outbreak was declared last week, with 141 cases counted so far.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, warned that the disease is rising across the country. She stressed that whooping cough, which is preventable by vaccine, can be very serious and even life-threatening for very young infants. She described its toll on patients as the "100-day cough," a long stretch of coughing that can wear people down for months.
Officials say the illness follows a cycle, rising every two to five or six years, and this year is part of that pattern. The Pan American Health Organization has also seen a rise across the Americas and urged countries to strengthen surveillance and vaccination.
Quebec has now recorded more than 11,670 cases of whooping cough this year. In a typical year between 2015 and 2019, the province averaged 562. The last peak came in 2019, when 1,269 cases were reported, so this year's count is nearly ten times that figure.
The numbers come from a spokesperson for Quebec's health ministry, who gave them to The Canadian Press in an email. The spokesperson also said most of the patients are between 10 and 14 years old.
Ontario's picture is smaller in absolute terms but points the same way. As of June, a provincial dashboard showed 470 cases, against a five-year average of 98. Toronto has reported 99 cases so far this year and Ottawa 76. In both cities that is more than double the annual averages recorded before the pandemic.
In New Brunswick, an outbreak was declared last week. The province has counted 141 cases so far, well above its five-year average of 34 per year.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said last week that pertussis, the formal name for whooping cough, is on the rise across the country. In an interview on Friday she stressed that the illness, which is preventable by vaccine and highly contagious, can be very serious and even life-threatening, especially for very young children. She also described why it wears on people: "We call it the 100-day cough," she said, adding that it can mean a significant amount of coughing for a very long time.
The illness begins with cold-like symptoms. Over several weeks it develops into coughing spells that often end in a "whoop" sound as the infected person catches their breath.
Public health officials note that whooping cough is cyclical, with activity rising every two to five or six years. That pattern is the backdrop to this year's surge, though the size of the jumps in several provinces is striking against the pre-pandemic averages.
The increase is not limited to Canada. Cases have also risen in the United States and elsewhere. In July, the Pan American Health Organization issued an alert urging countries to step up their surveillance and their vaccination coverage.
Citações Notáveis
We call it the 100-day cough. It can lead to a significant amount of coughing for a very long time.— Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer
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